offroad

Dirt bikes: Off-road motorcycle sales way up as people seek outdoor recreation

By Matthew A. Garcia 4 months ago
As people get away this summer with restrictions lifted, a lot of them are taking to off-road motorcycles — to the point that dirt bikes are cleaning up on the sales charts!

“It’s like a tsunami. It hit us, and has yet to crash,” said Kevin Wray, general manager of Bert’s Mega Mall in Covina

It’s hard to find a larger retailer of motorcycles than Bert’s. They carry every popular brand. Yet their sales floor for off-road motorcycles is somewhat bare these days.

“Bert’s Mega Mall has been around for 60 years. And in those 60 years we’ve never sold out of inventory, and we’re currently going through that process,” noted Wray.

While they recently had a small number of motorcycles on display in their off-highway area, they’re waiting for more bikes to come in. Those will then help fill up empty floor space, which used to be handlebar-to-handlebar, many

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Motorcycle, off-road vehicle safety as weather warms up (Healthy You)

By Matthew A. Garcia 6 months ago

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — It’s that time of year again, Saturday morning motorcycle rides and taking the ATV out for a spin.

If you have a need for speed, especially in something other than a car, safety should always come first.

Dr. Joshua Schacter’s typical attire is a leather jacket, boots, a helmet, gloves and pants. That is when the orthopedic surgeon rides into work on his own motorcycle.

“Motorcycling is never going to be completely safe, but neither is life,” United Regional Orthopedic Surgeon Joshua Schacter, DO said. “What we want to do with motorcycling is we want to educate, we want to practice our skills and we want to use and wear the proper equipment.”

Schacter knows all too well the ramifications of not following the rules of the road.

“The problem with a lot of these injuries is that they’re life-changing,” Schacter said.

As the weather heats

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Off-Road Testing VW’s Off-Road Atlas

By Matthew A. Garcia 9 months ago
Volkswagen Atlas Full Overview

Americans may be chomping at the bit for Ford Broncos, Jeep Wranglers, and Toyota 4Runners, but I’ve long had the theory that an all-wheel-drive crossover SUV on all-terrain tires could go 95 percent of the places that the average Wrangler or 4Runner (and eventual Bronco) owner goes off-road. I’m not talking about anything wild, like rock crawling in Moab or overlanding on the Mojave Road, but instead stuff like high-clearance 4×4 trails that dot national parks around the country, which are usually little more than a glorified forest road or hardpacked sand.

While a legion of Subaru owners (including my wife) have been proving me right for years by fitting their Outbacks, Foresters, and Crosstreks with all-terrain tires, VW thought it’d save its customers the trouble, offering up the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Basecamp to buyers inclined to explore the great outdoors. Unfortunately, as I’d soon find

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Volcon Grunt off-road electric motorcycle seen in new testing video

By Jaime E. Love 9 months ago

A new video released by Texas-based electric powersports company Volcon shows the Volcon Grunt off-road electric motorcycle riding in more detail than we’ve ever seen before.

Volcon Grunt electric motorcycle video

The Grunt is Volcon’s first planned electric powersports vehicle headed for production at the company’s new factory.

The Texas factory is currently under construction ahead of Grunt production planned to begin later this spring.

Until then, Volcon is showing off the Grunt in a new promotional video that sees it climbing berms, jumping through the air and generally engaging in exactly the kind of shenanigans you’d expect of an off-road electric motorcycle.

You can see the interesting new electric motorcycle below in all its glory.

Powered by a 50 hp (37 kw) electric motor, the Grunt is reportedly capable of putting down 75 lb-ft (100 Nm) of torque to its comically wide yet awesome-looking fat wheels.

The bike features

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